


you came in swinging like apollo. (i'll be feelin' it tomorrow.)

by mik_mik



Series: you and me, as the world caves in. (dnf apocalypse au) [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: -ish?, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, idk if i would consider it as /graphic/ but there /is/ some violence lol, painful.... painful pining....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27479362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mik_mik/pseuds/mik_mik
Summary: and if the world ends, then what?(george's pov)[title from dazed and confused by ruel]
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: you and me, as the world caves in. (dnf apocalypse au) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007982
Comments: 4
Kudos: 98





	you came in swinging like apollo. (i'll be feelin' it tomorrow.)

I hate empty towns.

It's so eery and so quiet, I could even hear my own heartbeat if I focused hard enough.

I shook my head and heaved a sigh, looking through the remaining items in my backpack. "If I could find more ammo, and hopefully a few more snacks and a map around here, I'd last for a few more weeks…"

I zipped the bag up, slung it over my back, and proceeded to check the muck-ridden stores.

It had been 5 years since the apocalypse started. 4 months since I was kicked out of the group I was in. A week since I lost my rifle and was left with only my pistol and my bow. It's really only by sheer luck that I'm still alive right now. It's ironic, since the reason I was booted was because of how clumsy and useless I've been.

Stupid vote. Stupid rules, the entire thing wasn't even fair. I was already doing good when John decided that I was too much of a pain to him and blamed me for something that I didn't even do.

I began to frown as I looked through the drawers and shelves of a rundown gas station. I miss Isaac and his funny stories, and Sherry with her amazing culinary skills.

_Who knew I'd still be missing them so much even after 4 months have passed by?_

" _Yes!_ " I exclaimed as I grabbed ahold of an energy bar and a packet of crackers. They still seemed edible. I looked around a bit longer and obtained clean water and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I decided that the place was getting me all jittery the longer I stayed and went off to the next store I could find.

A little bit away from the gas station was a shop. Relief washed over me, maybe there could be leftover ammo and more snacks I could take. I squeezed through the entrance that was blocked by broken pieces of furniture and looked around. The place was so full of dust and mold that I cringed and placed my gloved hand on my nose and mouth. I spotted a box full of ammo on a counter and proceeded to take some.

_That's kinda weird. I'm pretty sure people would take the whole box and not leave it out here in the open..._

Suddenly, gunshots echoed through the area and it caused the tiniest hairs on my body to rise up. I took all that I can get, practically everything including useless papers and teared up posters, and immediately ducked behind the shelves.

I didn't think that this would happen. This hasn't happened for quite a while. Was two weeks back the last time I've encountered a patrol? Or was it just a week ago? _Fuck_ , I can't remember.

I shook my head and attempted to steady my breathing. In, hold it, and out. I tried to take a peek from the shelf. I could spot at least two figures from where I am. They're quite loud, one of them loudly stepping and crunching on broken glass and giggling. They could be a great distraction from anything else and I could go through a clean escape.

Or so I thought.

As I leaned back to think of a route to choose, I failed to take notice of an undead making its way to me. It caught me off-guard and managed to topple me over. I ended up landing on tiny pieces of glass shards that pierced my skin which caused me to hiss in pain.

I wrestled with the zombie above me. As I struggled, I knew that I had grabbed attention of the two strangers near my area. I zoned in on the problem right in front of me, trying my hardest to just shove it away and get out of here as fast as I could, but the zombie's head was bashed away by a baseball bat that did not belong to me.

I looked up to him, his back facing me, in genuine fear. He had dirty dark hair that fell halfway his head; styled as an undercut, wore a plaid shirt with a smiley face spray-painted on it, light-colored cargo pants, and a tattoo on his right arm which clutched the bloodied baseball bat.

What was a stranger doing here, protecting another stranger? Isn't this dangerous? Shouldn't he also be beating me up for trespassing?

"Dream!" His companion called out, reminding me that there was someone else that came with him. "You can't just act on whatever you're feeling, you know that!"

So, his name is Dream.

"...Check on him. I'll take care of the remaining strugglers in this area." His stern voice echoed throughout the store, stomping away further to the back whilst two arms had helped me off the floor.

He seemed younger than Dream, dark hair covering a white strip of ribbon that was tied around his head. He had two scars that intervened each other at the bottom of his left cheek.

"That fall was nasty," He commented, checking my sleeves for any bites and my forehead if ever my temperature had risen. "I'm Sapnap. The guy who saved your life earlier is Dream. I'm sorry if we scared you shitless. Can you try breathing along with me?"

_Breathing along?_ I wondered why he'd request something so weirdly until, oh, I realized I've been hyperventilating this entire time.

Flustered, I nodded my head multiple times. The small action placed a smile on Sapnap's face before he began doing breathing exercises for me to follow. "I think," I blinked after a while, "I think I'm all good. Thank you, Sapnap. I'm George."

The brunette nodded, "Nice to meet you, George."

Footsteps were heard and we both turned our heads to see Dream. He apparently also wore a face mask that covered the freckles that were splayed on his face and a black shirt. Sapnap stood up straight abruptly, patting dirt away and wiping blood off from his hands.

"What's his status?"

"Well, his back is quite fucked. He fell on broken shards of glass. If I tried yanking them out right now, I'll end up pushing them in even further. We'll have to bring him back to Bad's if we're gonna treat him."

I dared to take a glance at the older of the two. He seemed very deep in thought, before suddenly looking back at me. I flinched quite visibly. I wasn't expecting him to just suddenly meet my gaze. Scrunching his eyebrows for a bit longer, he heaves a sigh.

"His name is George," I looked over to Sapnap, who revealed my name out of the blue. I gave him a look which hopefully delivered my genuine confusion as to why he did that.

A wave of silence washed over until Dream began to walk towards me, "I'll handle negotiating with Bad. Help him climb onto my back and bring his belongings."

_…Are you serious?_ The way he stated his response was as if Sapnap had asked a silent question.

The youngest of us three helped hoist me up onto his back, I slightly cringed at the pain searing from my shoulders to my hips, and had my arms wrapped tightly around his neck. It wasn't enough to choke him, of course, but I'm surprise that he's able to just easily carry me like I don't weigh a single digit.

"You got all we need?" He turned to look at Sapnap, "His bag, Tommy and Tubbo's biscuits, everything?"

Sapnap had gripped the backpack he had slung over his front, "Everything is secure with me." He doesn't see it, but I pay a whole lot of attention to Dream's actions. He doesn't talk as much, yet his actions are louder. Something is telling me that there's something wrong with that impression, but I had to leave it be.

I ended up laying my head on his shoulder and pass out, making it one of the very first times I was able to take an actual nap.

* * *

_"…eorge."_

I grumbled, a dull ache passing through my brain and back as I regain consciousness.

_"…George?"_ A gentle voice sounded throughout the room. My eyes were still shut so I wasn't able to pinpoint who it belonged to. "Hey, you have to wake up at one point. Come on, open your eyes."

I make myself open my eyes slowly, adjusting to my surroundings. It seems that I was lying down on my stomach. I tried to move, but it ended up sending a wave of pain throughout my entire body that made me groan.

"Don't move," the person spoke again, "I just finished treating your back. There were a lot of glass pieces, so you'll be feeling sore for a while."

I blinked before I glanced up, my eyebrows furrowed. My face softens immediately. It was Dream, seated on a small wooden stool that had bloodied medical equipment laid next to it on a piece of cloth on the ground.

He then grabbed a bottle of water and unscrewed its lid, crouching in front of me. "Here. You've probably been wandering around for quite a while now."

I carefully shift my weight onto my elbows, my face scrunching in the pain that comes along with it and drank the water. He helped tip the bottle slightly to make it easier for me.

"Thanks, Dream." I huffed out as I wiped my mouth with my sleeve. His lower eyelids crinkled slightly, and his cheeks moved quite a bit. Was he smiling?

My question was left unanswered when someone knocked on the door before entering. Dream stood up. His stance was suddenly a whole lot more stiff and his gaze seeming colder than usual but still had that sense of familiarity in it.

"How's the little muffinhead?"

His voice a lot higher compared to Dream's, but he gave off a kind and friendly vibe. Judging by how Dream was reacting, he had a higher position in this place.

"Bad," Dream nodded, "He's doing fine. I just cleaned up his wounds and gave him some water to drink. He'll most likely be okay to work with us tomorrow."

_Work with them?_ A pair of boots entered my field of vision before I was met with a new face. He has patches of bandaids on his face, and a set of broken glasses. He had a dark jacket which kind of blended with his hair in my eyes.

"Hello, George." He smiled. "You can call me Bad. I'm the Co-Leader of this little community, the other half being Skeppy. You'll be with us from now on. You wouldn't rather being outside all alone, would you?"

I blinked before immediately shaking my head, my mind empty. They're willing to take me in?

"Good. You'll be starting your duties with Sapnap first thing tomorrow morning." Bad nodded his head towards Dream, sending another smile my way before bidding adieu.

Suddenly being paired with someone whom I’ve only met for a few minutes and being welcomed by the co-leader of a whole community wasn’t something I had ever considered. It was even a _whole_ community, the biggest I’ve ever been in was an 8-person group. I held back a smile. I guess I can consider this as a nice turn of events on my end.

Before the door would shut, I hear a pair of shoes rushing to our area followed by heavy panting. “Woah, slow down—“ “Dream! George! There you are!”

“Sapnap,” Dream sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and seeming annoyed. “Be aware of your surroundings! You can’t just go around running into _everyone_.”

“Love you, Bad!” Sapnap had basically screeched out, waiting for a reply with the same amount of volume before shutting the door and giggling. He makes his way towards us and plops down to where I can see him. “Heya, Georgie. How are you holding up?”

_Georgie? Really?_ “How long was I out for, Dream?” I decided to ignore the dark-haired male, who feigned hurt as he placed a hand on his heart.

“Not that long,” He sits down on his stool again, running his hand through the clumpy locks of his light-toned hair. “It’s just about to be evening. I’m sure Carol’s already on her way for cooking duty tonight, though.”

“That means he has to be on his way to his nightly meeting with Bad and the others.” Sapnap added cheekily. “He’s basically like Bad’s right hand man. Like a little dog, woof woof arf—"

The younger one’s teasing was cut off when Dream decided to pull him into a headlock, his right hand bought up to ruffle his hair quite roughly. This brings out a squeal from Sapnap, giggling whilst trying to break free from his grasp. “Continue that sentence, I dare you!”

“You guys are close, huh.” I let out a small chuckle, which had bought up the biggest smile on Sapnap’s face.

“I’ve known Dream my entire life!” He declared as he finally broke free from the taller male’s hold, before seeming to have formed an idea inside his brain. “But I know nothing about you, George! Why don’t you tell us more about yourself?”

“Me?”

“Yeah!” Sapnap quipped, “You seem like a pretty cool guy, so I really want to get to know you more!”

“I have to go to my meeting in a few minutes, Sapnap…” Dream trailed off, seeming very wary of his friend’s choice.

Sapnap let out a ‘pshh’ and shoved the other male slightly, “I’m sure Bad will let you off the hook for being late for a few minutes!”

Dream furrowed his eyebrows, glancing between me and his closer friend, before heaving out a sigh and letting himself feel comfortable in his seat again. He fiddles with his face mask and nods at me.

I trip over my words, “Well- I, uhm,” I clear my throat and avert my eyes. “I’m 23, and I’m colorblind.”

“Colorblind?” Sapnap butted in, “How do you see the world? Is it like in black and white?”

I chuckled a bit at his child-like wonder, “Well, not exactly. It’s like I can only see yellows and blues.”

I glance at Dream for a good few minutes, examining his whole getup one more time. He visibly tenses under my gaze, but I heeded no mind to it.

“For example,” I started off, “Dream’s hair, eyes, and plaid shirt are all the same yellow to me. Save for the blotches of brown here and there, to which I’m pretty sure is blood.”

Bewildered, Dream’s eyebrows had arched up and Sapnap lets out a very loud gasp.

“What?!” Sapnap screeched, “But he’s wearing green though! He’s always worn green! That’s like, his signature color!”

“Well, I cannot see his _signature_ color, I’m afraid.” I grinned. “Other than that, I’m pretty skilled with the bow and can pretty much handle myself quite well for the most part.”

“But you got yourself stuck in the store back there.”

“I _did_ say _for the most part_ , didn’t I?” I sent a pointed look to the taller male, who just let out an amused chuckle. Feeling pleased with the info I could let out, I decided to turn the question towards them. “What about you guys? Even though I’m here being all chummy, I know literally _nothing_ about you two.”

“I’ve been with Dream ever since this whole thing started,” Sapnap didn’t hesitate for even a second to tell his side of the story. “Anyone who tries to separate me and him will get beaten up.”

His head gets bonked by the older male beside him, though. “You still throw a fit even when it comes to _my_ simple tasks. Everyone has their own missions here and you know you can’t be with me _all the time_.”

Sapnap’s eyes roll, “I know that.”

“Then stop putting up a show. Besides,” Dream motions to me. “You have someone to keep an eye on now.”

I huffed, before motioned them to continue where they left off.

Dream decided to take the lead this time, “I’ve known Sapnap since we were kids, but I’m obviously older than him by a little while.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what you think I meant.”

“Hey—”

“—eam. Dream?” A walkie-talkie’s speaker crackled to life, surprising all three of us. “Hello, Dream? Report on over to the office. We’re waiting.”

Dream’s demeanor shifted, a small silence setting in, before he grabs ahold of the device and presses the button to send a response, “Copy. Will be right there.”

As he began to stand up and go on his way, Sapnap had grabbed ahold of his arm and pulled him back slightly. I could only watch the interaction between the two as the mood had suddenly turned into something much more heavy and deafening. “What is it, Sapnap?”

“Let’s bring him over to our cottage to sleep,” He started, and the taller of the two immediately had a frown on his face. “I know you’re planning to just dump him over at Beatrice’s, have him find his own place to settle in, but I’m sure Tommy and Tubbo would love some new company.”

Tommy and Tubbo? At the mention of those two names, Dream’s stance had visibly softened. He sighed for the nth time today, and ruffled Sapnap’s hair lovingly.

“Fine,” He mused out before gazing at me. “Make sure to show George around while I’m gone, okay? And remember to not stay out past curfew.”

With that being said, he immediately made his way towards the door and left without a sound.

There’s something really weird about Dream. Sure, I’ve only known him for almost more than half of a day, but that doesn’t mean it’s weird to want to get to know him more. To get closer to him. It’s obvious that there are things that are getting to him that it’s just making him limit himself when it comes to everything else.

There’s a lot of things he’s been hiding.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen him like this.”

I was taken aback at how soft Sapnap’s voice was, considering that all I’ve heard from him were loud volumes of laughing and snarky comebacks. I glanced at him, wearing a small smile on his face and fiddling with his fingers. “Dream—He isn’t usually one to act on his emotions nowadays. He used to, actually. But lately, he’s been blocking us off. Blocking _me_ off.”

I sat there in silence, not really knowing what to say and just hoping that my company was enough for him. He must’ve sensed my uncertainty, since he just decided to give me a genuine smile.

“I’m glad we found you, George.”

_…Me?_

I was about to ask what he meant about that, but he already decided to get up from his spot and stretch.

“Welp,” He croaked out, “Let me help you out that bed. I’ll show you around the area, and maybe even introduce you to Tommy and Tubbo if they’re free.”

* * *

It’s been two weeks. Two weeks of being in a new environment, and I find myself on the ground with spilt fruit.

“ _You little twat!_ ” A feminine voice screeched out, and I flinched. A crowd slowly started to form around us, wondering what the whole commotion was about. “Don’t you ever fucking look wherever you’re going?! This is the second time you’ve bumped into me this _week_!”

I was doing my duties transporting boxes from one side to the other, and I guess I slipped out of my mind to daydream for a second or two and had bumped into Minx.

I scrambled to get to my knees, picking up any good fruit left to salvage, “I’m so sorry, Minx, I—"

“You are getting on my _fucking_ nerves!” She had screeched, a scowl on her face.

“Minx, hey,” Finally, someone I’m familiar with. Sapnap immediately steps in between me and Minx with a careful stance. “Look, he’s still not used to his surroundings. Cut him some slack—”

“Yeah, I’ll cut him some slack with my fucking knife right now.”

“—Okay, if you dare lay a _fucking finger_ on him or anyone else in my family, I _swear_ to god—”

“What’s going on?” People made way for Bad and Dream to enter in. “Minx, we talked about this. _What did I say about your language?_ ”

“Sapnap, back off. She isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

“Dream, she—”

“ _Sapnap._ ”

Defeated, the younger male huffed before turning around to help me up. He immediately checked if I was wounded in the slightest, making me mutter out tiny affirmations that I’m okay, before filling the box I carried with three less fruit in them. As Sapnap had ushered me away from the scene, I looked back to see Dream, Bad, and Minx talking.

Dream had the darkest look I’ve ever seen on his face, his volume getting louder every second his speaks (just a little louder and I would’ve been able to understand what he’s been telling her) and his steps getting closer and closer to Minx, but was stopped by Bad’s hand on his shoulder. He glanced at the male next to him, who was shaking his head, and immediately backed down.

I turned away and focused on the path I was walking.

I was screwing up all over again.

My face wrinkled in frustration before Sapnap’s voice interrupted my train of thought.

“Mrs. Phillips!” He called out, the elderly woman turning around to the sound of her name. “Hey! We’ve got your fruits here for you. We ran into a little problem, so there’s a little bit of a delay to the delivery.”

“Oh, I’ve heard,” she had chuckled whilst showing me where to place the box, “Minx can be quite a handful, huh?”

Flustered, I stayed still while Sapnap had laughed along. “Yeah, she can be quite the pain.”

“She’s still such a sweetheart once you get to know her,” She slowly takes away the different fruits piece by piece, preparing a recipe. “Though I’m sure Georgie here is scared out of his wits for now.”

“Oh, he is!”

I jabbed my elbow against Sapnap’s ribcage.

* * *

“You bumped into her again?! George, for an old man, you have a really shitty attention span!”

Bewildered, and still not used to it, I scrunched my face. “You’re just like, 13, Tommy. Can’t you tone down that tongue of yours?”

“Nope!” the little gremlin replied, practicing his archery skills against a tree.

Sapnap and Dream had a joint patrol today, and I was left to watch over Tommy and Tubbo for the time being. Right next to their small cottage was a big tree with a tire swing on one of the branches (Something Dream came up with to entertain the kids while he was gone, according to Sapnap.) and a log where me and Tubbo were seated for the meantime.

Tommy and Tubbo are basically like Sapnap’s younger brothers (his words, not mine.) and are joined by the hip. It was like seeing a much younger version of the two. Tommy, although being the tallest of the two, is younger than Tubbo by a few months and has the loudest mouth than any of the people he has ever met. Even _louder_ than Sapnap’s himself. Tubbo, on the other hand, is way more calm and likes to enjoy things as they come. He likes talking and watching bugs, especially bees.

“The more you tell Tommy to stop swearing, the more he’d want to swear.” Tubbo inquires, leaning back onto the log we’re sitting on and kicks the stones near his feet. “I don’t exactly know why though. I also swear from time to time, but I stop when someone else doesn’t like it. I don’t like making people uncomfortable. Wilbur said swearing too much makes people uncomfortable.”

_Wilbur?_

“Tubbo.” I looked back up and saw Tommy with his eyebrows furrowed and his bow was yielded, facing downwards.

“Sorry!” Tubbo immediately raised his hands in an act of surrender. “Sorry, slip of the tongue! I just still don’t get why we can’t talk about him anymore.”

“We’ve talked about this.”

Tubbo frowns, “I know.”

Seeing that this is something that I shouldn’t press further about, I got up from my seat next to Tubbo and approached Tommy.

“Your posture is all wrong. Look,” I pointed to his feet, “Align your shoulders and your feet— yeah, just like that,”

Tommy draws the bow, “Breathe in deep,” I reminded, and then he shoots the arrow. It landed a whole lot higher than his previous attempts, which draws a small happy shriek from the child.

“I did it!” the light-haired male faces me, “You saw that, right? You saw it?”

I chuckled, “I saw, Tommy. You’re improving really quickly. You’ll be a better shot than me in no time.”

A whistle echoed from behind us, which caused all three of us to turn our heads. Sapnap was approaching us with a wave and an impressed smile on his face whilst Dream was still talking to Dorothy, someone who was part of their patrol group, before jogging over to catch up with us.

Tommy had dropped the bow and began running towards Sapnap, planning to tackle him with full force. The older male had just simply leaned down a bit, catching him with the help of his momentum, and proceeded to swing him around which caused the younger one to squeal out of joy.

On the other hand, Tubbo had stood up from his seat and slowly went over to me. He stayed by my side for a few minutes watching Dream make his way towards us before the he raised his arms up. Grinning, he started jogging over to the male to give him the tightest hug. Dream squeezed him back.

“They didn’t cause you too much trouble?” He glanced at me as Tubbo pulled away and instead grabbed ahold of his hand.

I shook my head, “Other than that little gremlin over there bullying me per usual, nothing bad happened.”

A shriek erupted from the youngest of the two, thrashing around as he was flopped over one of Sapnap’s shoulders wanting to attack me for what I’ve labelled him. An absolute feral child.

Dream sends Tommy a pointed look, causing him to shut up. He still glares at me, though, whilst the dark-haired male carrying him lets out an amused chuckle.

Tubbo tugs at the taller male’s flannel, “What’s for dinner?”

“Hmm,” Dream pondered as he ruffled his hair, “I think Bad’s gonna help Manuel make his famous stew. You like the sound of that?”

Beaming, Tubbo bounced slightly. “It’s my favorite! I _love_ Manuel’s stew!”

Dream ‘smiled’ back at him before crouching down to his height, bringing out something from his backpack. It seemed to be a worn-out coloring book with a box of crayons, some of which were broken.

“Tommy told me that you’ve been wanting to draw more lately,” He started off, Tubbo gripping onto book with stars in his eyes. “So, I found this while on patrol. This way, you don’t have to argue with the twins over the papers and pencils.”

Tubbo just grins at him, speechless.

“Did you get _me_ anything?” Tommy echoed from afar, being set back down onto the ground by Sapnap and approached the three of us.

Dream had simply zipped his bag up and slung it over before standing up fully. He looks over to the young lad before flicking his forehead. This causes Tommy to yelp and Dream immediately books it. Tommy then proceeds to chase after him, full on yelling mixed in with wheezing laughter.

I end up chuckling, looking fondly over everyone. It was quite a wholesome sight after all.

Occurrences like these were rare, that was what I learned from Tubbo. He’d told me that Dream would often be quiet and serious while teaching Tommy things from the various books he’d find on his patrols. He would play with them sometimes, sure, but he’d leave the entertaining to Sapnap and immediately duck into the house to get ready for his duties the next morning.

“He managed to trade a few spare bullets for Tommy’s favorite snack to someone passing by,” Speaking of the devil, Sapnap spoke up as he stood beside me. “If you were wondering.”

I looked over to him, and I can _tell_ that he’s trying to read my mind. I smiled and immediately avert my gaze, looking downwards. “That’s nice of him.”

I may be getting way ahead of myself, but I’d really like to stay and help this tiny family as much as I can.

* * *

Dream paces back and forth as I sat on the ground, trying to stop the bleeding from the wound that has been inflicted on my leg by a bandit.

I was assigned into a joint patrol with the two a few months later. We were split into two, Sapnap being with Bad. To cut it short, Dream and I had found a group of bandits holding one of the community’s members hostage. We tried to negotiate with them, see if we can make the solution better without any violence, but it ended up with losing one of Bad’s people and having to wipe out a group of 5. During the fight, a bullet had pierced through my left leg.

“Keep applying pressure to that,” Dream instructs as he barricades the small store we’re in. “I’ll have to block this place up. It’s getting late and we can’t travel back with you in that state. All this noise would attract too many zombies.”

I nodded my head as he continues to ramble on, “I’ll try to keep contacting Sapnap. God knows how clumsy he can be with the walkie-talkies.”

I chuckle slightly, hissing softly from the pain that shoots in my leg as I shift my position just by the tiniest bit. He’s told me the story before, where they had to go through the trouble of finding more components and available walkie-talkies due to Sapnap losing or breaking them each time he’d go out on patrol.

“Dream,” I called out to him, as he just wouldn’t stop pacing around. He looks at me as if he’d just snapped out of it. “Calm down. You’ve covered the entrances enough. Let’s just start up a small campfire and wait this out.”

He blinks at me before nodding his head. “Yeah—Yeah. You’re right, yeah, sorry. On it.”

He proceeds to clear out some space in front of us, putting broken pieces of furniture on the floor. He then brings out a piece of flint (He brings that with him all the time, like some sort of good luck charm from the youngest of us three.) and strikes it with his pocketknife. The sparks land on the chunks of wood, igniting and causing them to catch a flame.

I sigh at the warmth radiating in front of me. I used my jacket to wrap around the wound, so my arms were bare and I was freezing the entire time as the night set in.

“Unwrap your jacket,” He orders as he brings out a roll of bandages that he’d picked up earlier, “You said the bullet went through, right? I’ll patch you up.”

Gulping, I hesitantly peel my jacket away from my leg. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Dream, it was just painful to shift the weight that I had applied on the wound. Once I managed to do so, he quickly came over to my side and worked on it.

He gently wraps the bandages around my wound as much as he could, with me occasionally flinching and hissing here and there. As he finishes up, I fold my arms and slowly curl up due to the drop of temperature setting in. Since there was a lot of blood smeared all over my jacket, I didn’t want to use it.

And as if he noticed this, he plops down next to me and shrugs his flannel off. He drapes it over my shoulders, and I stare at him in bewilderment. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t help as much as I hope it would, but the thought counts, doesn’t it?”

“But what about you?” I questioned as I was about to peel the piece of clothing off me to return it to its owner, “Wouldn’t you be freezing?”

Dream just shakes his head before shifting his position closer and closer to me until we were huddled together. “There’s you and the fire. I’ll be okay.”

I feel heat rush up to my face and turn away from him before he could even ask why my cheeks are red. Him and his stupid words and his stupid, _stupid_ personality. Like, stop. George, stop. Seriously. Like, stop being weird. Just stop. Y’know, just take this opportunity to maybe get to know him better.

“So,” My voice cracks, and I _cursed_ internally. “We hadn’t been able to get to know each other ever since I came into your group, so, uh, why not use this time to tell me more of yourself?”

I turn my gaze back to him and he furrows his eyebrows, “I’ve told you enough, though.”

“You only told me that you’ve known Sapnap since you were babies and that you were older than him,” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think that’s enough information.”

Dream grumbles before replying, “Well, I’m usually well-acquainted with long-range weapons. Kinda wonky with the bow, but guns are my go-to. That’s one thing.”

And that one thing connects with another, and it connects with another, and then another. I’ve come to learn that he’s very much confident in his actions, knows how to take advantage of any situation, and to quickly plan out his moves. I also let him know some of my sides, wherein I like to break and build things, learn how things work and stuff like that. Whatever aspect he lays out about himself, I give one about mine.

“Being good at negotiating? Your so-called negotiating skills is what got us stuck here!”

“I was nervous, okay?” I huffed as he gave off a chuckle at my reaction.

The chat had dipped into silence for a bit before I inhaled deeply. “Is it okay to ask more... sensitive questions?”

He shifts. “It depends. What is it?”

“I…” I trailed off, biting my lip in hesitation. “I want to know how you ended up here in Bad’s camp. I want to know about this ‘Wilbur’ that Tubbo would always bring up from time to time and why everyone agreed to never talk about him again.”

Dream was silent, and I immediately take my words back. “I-I didn’t mean to come off too strongly, I mean, it’s like, y’know, you don’t have to tell me of course, but like—”

“No, George,” Dream sighs. “You’re a part of our group now. You’re bound to know.”

And so, he started to tell me the story.

“Wilbur and I,” He breathes in deeply. “We were close. Almost as close as I am with Sapnap. The three of us were together when the apocalypse started.”

Dream was scouted into a group where the rules were to be strictly followed. A lot of the people who did not comply were to face either great torture or death. Of course, intimidated by this, they all had obliged to everything they were told.

He chuckled softly, “Sapnap was such a little shit. He’d always butt heads whenever he’d be separated from the two of us, but he was too young at the time to work on the tasks that were given.”

A lot of the time where Sapnap had acted up, he admitted to taking the punishments for him. He’d rather get hurt than to see Sapnap or Wilbur hurt. I frown a little bit, since he’d still be willing to take that risk up until now. I’m sure any of us wouldn’t him to be hurt because of the mistakes that we’ve pulled either.

“There was this turning point,” Dream had started fidgeting with his fingers. “Wilbur had begun sneaking out in the middle of the night, bringing stashes of food out without any permission. When we were finally paired up together for a sweep outside by the border, I confronted him. I asked him why he was sneaking food outside.”

I laid my head on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him as he continued to speak. “It turns out that he was taking care of Tommy and Tubbo. Our group didn’t want anymore people, so with him just telling other people of its existence would put him in so much trouble.”

“So, I argued with him. Telling him that he’s causing unneeded danger to the group.” He brings his hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. He seemed to do that whenever he was disappointed or irritated. “My worry for him and my anger at his actions caused me to thrash around and vocalize my emotions that I had ended up drawing the attention of a horde to where we were stationed.”

His voice wavered by the end of his sentence, “George, I got him killed.”

That was all he said, but his emotions were bleeding through the silence that poured down onto the both of us. Thoughts that went unsaid were hanging in the air, the blame he had put onto himself this entire time finally being unraveled right before my eyes.

The feeling of losing an opportunity, the tiniest action that he could have done to save his late close friend. The regret that he had to face afterwards, the guilt that clung onto his back up to this day. It all came crashing down.

I press my cheek against his shoulder, brushing my hand in an up-and-down motion against his tattooed arm in an attempt to soothe and comfort him. He began to sniffle and immediately turned away to wipe the silent tears that fell from his eyes.

“…I’m sure he isn’t angry at you.”

As soon as I spoke those words, he turns to me and looks at me in bewilderment. I continued to talk, “It isn’t my place to say, considering that I never knew of Wilbur, but I’m very sure that he isn’t mad at you.”

He scoffed, “Why do you think so?”

“Well, first of all,” I stopped my actions, my hand landing on his and my gaze is on the small campfire. “You mentioned that he was the person who took Tommy and Tubbo in. You had the choice to abandon them, but you didn’t. He’d be very grateful for what you’ve been putting up with for all this time.”

He stayed silent, so I took this as a cue to continue. “And you never gave up. You’re probably just _so_ tired that you can’t help but just prevent yourself from feeling anything. Yet here you are, constantly trying to find things to look forward to, to give yourself hope.”

“That’s what’s important here. You, Sapnap, Tommy, Tubbo. Still alive, breathing, and together.”

As I finished my train of thought, I realized that I just started rambling out of my ass and didn’t even consider _what_ I was even trying to say. I blinked multiple times, “Wait- I mean,”

“George,”

I look up at Dream, his eyes had this somewhat pleading look but if I were to squint, I could see the slightest crinkle. That telltale crinkle which signifies his smile. I then look down to see his hand, which held mine, and then looked back up at him.

“... _Thank you_.”

It was the softest tone I’ve ever heard in years. He stared at me as if I’ve hung the moon and stars and it causes this huge stutter in my heartbeat and this heat to spread across my cheeks.

I squeezed his hand as my breath hitches, “Of course. I’m always right here.”

And then static was suddenly heard from Dream’s walkie-talkie. “ _—m? Dream, can you hear me? Fuck, please pick up._ ”

We both jolted in surprise and pulled away from each other, with me clutching onto his flannel and him pulling the device up to send a response.

“We’re okay. Cool down, Sap.”

I can hear the relieved bickering coming from our friend, but I was more interested on the article of clothing that was laid on my shoulders.

Although it was thin, it gave me the warmth and comfort that I’ve been craving for.

It felt nice.

* * *

I was on my way out to my nightwatch duty when I was halted by two pairs of grabby hands on my sweater. Catching my attention, I turned my head to face them.

“George!” The two brothers had simultaneously called out, tugging on the piece of clothing. Tubbo had quipped up first, his sibling too focused on pulling at my top, “Are you coming to the festival tonight? Are you?”

I gave them both a wary smile, setting my hands on their heads to calm them down, “I’m on my way to my duty, so I might miss it.”

Frowning, Tommy let out a noise of distraught, “But it’s the _festival!_ Everyone is invited, even Dream is going!”

_Dream is going?_ I shook my head. I really should stop thinking with my heart. Who cares if Dream is going to the festival? ~~I do, obviously.~~

“Look, I’ll try my best to get there, alright?” I kneeled in front of the two, taking a better look at Tommy’s strong frown and Tubbo’s teary face. “You both know I’d do anything for you two. Now, go on. I’m sure Sapnap’s looking for you both.”

I pat their heads one more time before they both turned around, bounding off to their older brother figure. I stood up, brushing off the dirt from my pants, before going on my way to meet up with Skeppy.

My walk to the post I was assigned to was interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. Peering up, I saw one of the people from the bakery.

“Charlie?” I wondered out loud as he smiled at me. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you helping the others serve cake at the event tonight?”

The older man shakes his head, his smile still on his face. “We’ve got Niki to do that. Girl’s practically been _begging_ to help out. I’ll be taking over your shift, so go on now and have fun.”

I could only gape at the man, probably looking like a dumb goldfish, before meeting gazes with Skeppy from afar. He nods at me, and I return my attention to Niki’s father, “Y-You’re joking, aren’t you?”

He only let out a chuckle, cocking his head to the side to signal me to go on. I lingered around for a bit before thanking him, immediately dashing back to the main grounds.

I make my way to the centre. There were fairy lights displayed all over the posts, some of which were blinking different colors ranging from what I’d think would be shades of reds to shades of blue. It was so colorful and lively.

I turned around to see Sapnap being dragged around by the two brothers, big smiles on their faces as they twirled around to the music. Both siblings were holding to each of the older male’s arms, spinning him around until they were all dizzy.

I smiled and leaned against one of the posts nearest to me. Everyone else began to mingle with each other, from starting conversations to asking each other to be their other pair for the dance that seems to be happening in the middle of the square. It’s nice to see that there were still some sane aspects to have remained in the world even after it’s gone to ruins.

From the corner of my eye, I spot Niki and her family working to give away slices of cake and bread that they had managed to bake with whatever ingredients we had managed to stock for the past few months. The blonde continues to give boxes of desserts to young kids and elders with a smile on her face, having a mirrored response from all the people that had passed her way. She noticed my gaze and sent a wave my way, and I waved back a bit hesitantly as I was caught a bit off-guard there.

I decided to head back to the cabin, letting people have their fun, until I felt a hand reaching around to stay on my waist. Surprised, I quickly looked up to see that it had belong to a ~~really beautiful soul~~ friend. “Dream!”

He looks back at me with his eyes crinkling, his signature smile, “Heya, Georgie. Forgot I was coming?”

I roll my eyes at his nickname for me and decided to go against responding back. Dream lets out a chuckle before leading me into the square where almost everyone was at.

“Dream,” I try to resist and pull at his arm the other way, heart beating fast. “What are you doing?”

“Come on, George,” The blond walked in front of me, his eyes squinting a bit more as to show that he is grinning, while continuing to pull me into the dancing crowd. “You know how busy we’ve been of late. Let’s have some fun for tonight.”

I’m not normally one to join in on a big event, let alone _dancing_ in one, but I’ll just blame it on his charming personality.

I let him pull me along while shaking my head, not even bothering to fight the smile that was forming on my lips. Once we reached a spot he was satisfied with, he began to swing our arms from one side to the other while jumping around to the beat of the music being played.

I laughed while trying to keep up with him, “I don’t know how to dance, Dream!”

And he wheezed in return, “I don’t either, George!”

So, we continued to just move around like idiots trying to go along with the songs. I’d normally feel uncomfortable and immediately walk back to a stool to sit on or just blatantly leave the whole event without a word. But, oddly enough, I feel okay to make a fool of myself in this very moment. I feel happy enough to just enjoy spending time with someone I’m close with.

~~Maybe it’s just because I’m with him. Maybe, when I’m with him, it just feels like it’s just us two left in the world.~~

We both began to lose our breath from our shared laughter right as the slow songs have started to play. I attempted to catch my breath, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand, and saw that the people around us were now huddled close to each other, swaying slowly as the mood changes along with the music.

I began to be aware of the situation I’m in. I blinked, trying to fight the flush I feel forming on my face as I try to avoid eye contact with the male in front of me as much as I can. My actions were proved futile when the blond had stepped closer to me, placing my hands on his shoulders and his on my waist.

I continued to look down, the fight against my blush long forgotten, and he just smiles before leaning closer into my ear, “It’s okay, George. Lean into me.”

He must’ve known that I’m feeling shy and embarrassed ( _Honestly, if you were blushing and fretting right in front of someone, who wouldn’t._ ) so I obliged, leaning into his shoulder.

“You did really great,” He began, his voice rumbling throughout my ear as it was pressed against his shoulder. “Dancing, I mean.”

I huffed, “You were lying about not being good at dancing. You’ve twirled me like, what, 7 times?”

Dream laughs quietly, before setting his head against my own shoulder. The texture of his face mask tickles my neck, but I decided to ignore it as I wanted him to be close.

“But I mean it though. You are _amazing_ , George.”

I pursed my lips, my heart thumping out loudly to the point where I can _feel_ it against my own ears. I let out a nervous chuckle, “I’m not _that_ great, Dream.”

“No— _seriously!_ ” He abruptly pulls away— and I slap myself for feeling the slightest bit _disappointed_ that there is, yet again, a gap between us –and looks at me dead in the eyes. “Without you calibrating these lights, fixing up Niki’s family oven, and helping out in decorating the square, we wouldn’t be here celebrating Archie’s birthday.”

And I wanted to retort back, saying it’s nothing, but I tend to forget how _tightly knit_ their community is. It may not have been a big deal for me, but it was for Dream, for Archie, for Bad and Skeppy, for everyone else here. When I looked back at him, when I expected him to have his attention somewhere else due to how quiet he’s been, he’s still looking at me with a certain twinkle in his eyes—as if I’ve hung the moon and stars for him.

I lose myself for a bit, before looking down and smiling quite widely. “Thank you.”

He lets out a pleased hum, before holding me a bit closer and swaying the both of us from side to side.

* * *

“Sapnap.”

He grumbles, throwing a slight fit because of his sleep being disturbed.

“Sapnap, wake up.”

Sapnap then sighs in defeat. “What is it, George?”

It was a perfect time to talk about it. Dream isn’t here because of his night shift, keeping guard over the community alongside Bad and Skeppy.

“It’s important.”

Probably sensing my urgency to talk about something, he immediately sits up. His dark hair is splayed out in different directions because of how much he had moved in his sleep.

“What’s wrong?” He immediately shifts closer to my end of the bed, leaning into my side.

Sapnap and I sleep in the same room as Tommy and Tubbo, the two claiming the bunk beds and us sharing one bed. Dream sleeps in a separate room, Sapnap being the one to suggest it so that he wouldn’t worry about the two children all the time.

“It’s,” I sighed, obviously troubled. “I don’t know.”

Sapnap searched for answers by looking at my face, “This is about Dream, isn’t it?”

I nodded, each breath I take becoming more and more painful causing tears to form in my eyes. The younger male takes my hands in his, rubbing his thumbs across my palms in a soothing manner. I furrow my eyebrows in an attempt to hold myself back from full on sobbing.

“I just— _fuck._ ” I spat, extremely terrified. “I just feel _so much_ for him, Sap. I’m so scared of falling even _deeper_ into whatever this is.”

“And whatever you’re feeling right now is okay. It’s normal.” He says, “George, it’s okay. It’s not like you’re not allowed to like anyone just because the dead are walking.”

My breath hitches, and the tears come running down. “Sapnap,”

He stays attentive to me at the sound of his name. “Sapnap, I think I’m _in love_ with him.”

And he lets out this stupid giggle, a goofy smile evident on his face. He seemed to also have the tiniest bit of tears in his eyes.

“And that’s perfectly fine, George. I’m so happy that you’ve come to that realization.”

A creak suddenly sounded throughout the room and we suddenly see Tubbo up, rubbing at his eye. “George…? Why is George crying…?”

I wipe my eyes away as quickly as I could before the younger boy started to walk over to me, climbing onto the bed to give me a tight hug. “I don’t want George to be sad…”

I gave out a small chuckle as he slowly starts to fall back asleep. I look over to Sapnap and gave him the widest smile I could ever muster.

“I’m glad I’ve met you, Sapnap.”

“The same goes to you, George.” He grins back as he stands up, taking Tubbo’s place on his bed. “Love you, dude. I’d literally do anything for you.”

“Alright, then do me a favor and go on back to sleep. You’ll be needing it for your rounds tomorrow.”

* * *

“Hey, George,” I turned to see Minx running up to me. I flinched by habit. “Thanks for helping me out earlier.”

Oh, right. She had gotten herself into a bet that almost gotten her in a bunch of trouble. I just happened to be in the same place as she was when I started to hear yelling and swearing and decided to check it out.

“Oh, um, no problem. Glad I could be of help.” I sputtered out, wanting to just speed-walk my way out of this conversation.

I was stopped from doing so due to a hand tugging at my clothing. “Wait.”

I looked over to her, confusion evident on my face as she looked around in an attempt to form words in her head.

“Look, you see, I know we both didn’t have the best first impression towards each other,” She bites her lip. “But you’re a really cool guy. I just hope that we could be… friends? From now on?”

My eyebrows arched upward slightly in surprise; my mouth agape before I let out a small smile. She really does have a soft heart under everything. Everyone does.

“I’d love that, Minx.”

Minx beamed; her smile wide. She then looked slightly off from where I stood before letting out an amused huff. “Oh look, it’s loverboy.”

_Loverboy?_ I turn around to see Dream and Skeppy return from their hunting patrol, Skeppy handing over the rabbits they’ve managed to catch and Dream giving back the weapons they’ve used.

My face flushed and I immediately stammered at Minx’s statement, “Oh, uh, Minx, we’re not that—”

“Not _what?_ ” Minx chuckles. “George, I could practically see _hearts in your eyes_. You can’t fool me.”

I groaned.

“ _Please,_ ” I covered my face in my hands after I laid down a crate of apples. I’m sure I seem so red that even the tips of my ears are easy indicators of how flustered I have gotten. “Please don’t tell a _single_ soul.”

Minx cackles before leaving me, seeing that Dream is approaching me. “You have my word!”

I furrowed my eyebrows, looking through the gaps of my fingers to see the person I least wanted to see in this state.

He mimics my expression, except it was out of genuine worry. “Why is your face red? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Don’t.” I sighed as I raised a hand to stop him from continuing his never-ending questions.

Dream huffs. “Well, once you’re done with your duties just meet me at the cottage.”

“I only had this left with me,” I walked over to his side, waiting for him to lead the way per usual. “I’ll come with you.”

His eyebrows raised up in slight surprise before nodding and leading the way.

Although we’ve only known each other for a number of months that I can count on one hand, everything just feels _so_ natural between us. Save for this stupid, _stupid_ heart of mine, just falling into step next to him or being in sync with him during combat just feels like second nature to me at this point.

We arrive at the cottage and Dream lays down his belongings save for his bag. I spot only Tommy and Tubbo on the couch, Tommy teaching Tubbo how to read words like usual. “Where’s Sapnap?”

“He’s hanging out with Karl and Eret,” Tommy replied, pausing a bit to correct Tubbo’s mistake. “Something about setting fire to something. But he said to not worry about him setting the whole community on fire.”

Questionable, but I decided to just thank him and leave them be. I turned to Dream who was making his way to his end of the house and followed him into it. I entered the room and closed the door whilst trying to ignore the fluttering in my chest, “So, what’s up?”

“So,” He sat on his bed, his small bag in his hands. “You know that small piece of flint that Sapnap gave me?”

I nodded, approaching and sitting right next to him. It was a normal, flimsy stone, but it had a deep meaning with it as it was the very first thing that had caused the duo’s friendship. “You’ve practically had that with you since you were born.”

Dream chuckles, “Yeah, true. I’ve talked with Sapnap about it, and I decided to just… trade it. Along with two sets of ammo and a scope.”

“You _what?!_ ”

The light-haired male raised his arms up in defense, “Calm down! Sapnap was okay with it, saying that he’d just find another one. Plus,”

He stops mid-sentence to pull out a pair of glasses that were tinted red, “It was for these.” He then places them into my hands. I curiously take a look at them, feeling intimidated by the small object.

“They’re glasses for colorblind people.” I gape at him, totally not believing this. “They’re kinda cracked around the edges, but it was the highest quality they could ever have.”

I began to tear up, “Dream, no way.”

He laughs, a slight wheeze coming out of his mouth. “George, _Yes_ way. Now, put them on.”

“I’m,” I fumble with the glasses. “I’m nervous, I—”

“Look, here, I’ll put them on for you. Close your eyes.”

Almost immediately, I close my eyes whilst fidgeting in my seat. He laughs, telling me to stay still but I just can’t _help_ it. This is one of the many things that I’ve been wanting my whole life and here it is, right in front of me.

I can feel the smooth, cold plastic sliding into place before the glasses were settled on the bridge of my nose. My breath hitches slightly but I quickly correct my breathing.

“Okay, George,” Dream says, a smile evident on his face just from the way he says my name. “Open your eyes.”

Hesitantly, I slowly open my eyes. Everything was still in a yellow-ish tone, but everything had way more depth. Everything felt more vibrant, more interesting, more… _alive_.

“So,” the male in front of me inquired, sounding a little nervous. “How’s it look?”

Focusing more on him, his hair had a more golden tint to it. His ‘green’ flannel being darker and easier to differentiate, the freckles on his face more evident and easier to connect one to another, his eyes becoming easier to get lost in—

“You’re _beautiful_.”

Before I knew it, I’ve cupped Dream’s face in a trance and practically said all my thoughts out loud in a sigh. I feel so embarrassed, and I was about to pull away as quickly as I could, but Dream had wrapped his hands around my waist which halted all my actions. I blinked, averting my gaze and then looking back to him.

He had the softest look on his face, his voice barely above a whisper, “I should be saying that to you.”

I sputtered, my heart _actually_ stuttering, and he lets out the cutest chuckle I’ve _ever_ heard. He’s probably laughing at how red my face is right now, but it’s the least of my worries right now. He gains my attention again by slightly tightening hold on me, “Is this okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” I replied, the air knocked out of my chest. “This is perfect.”

We ended up laying down on his bed, just cuddling and passing time. We didn’t really talk for a while, so I just spent my time listening to his heartbeat.

“George,” I look up to him, his eyes closed and seeming tense. I wrapped my hand around his arm in an attempt to soothe him, which worked because he exhaled slowly before looking at me again.

“I’ll… remove this mask.” He says, bringing a hand up to slip the object off his face. “I hope I don’t scare you off.”

I didn’t reply, but he proceeded to peel it off, revealing a scar that starts off from the two corners of his lips to his cheekbones which resembled a smile. He throws away the face mask, suddenly seeming shy. “…Surprise?”

“Dream…” I cup his face one more time, tracing the scar with my thumbs. It seemed like it would’ve taken a long time for it to heal, with faint stich marks appearing here and there. He didn’t deserve to take this treatment.

He nuzzles into my hand, covering it with his. My heart melts to the point where I couldn’t help but place a kiss on both of his cheeks, where his scars lay. When I pulled back, he had the same starstruck gaze that he had when he opened up to me in the store.

“George,” His voice was dangerously low, and my heartbeat speeds up. “Can I kiss you?”

I smiled like an idiot, taking the glasses off and having Dream place them on the table next to his bed before placing my lips on his. His lips were chapped, but they were warm and soft in a way that I just can’t seem to properly describe. I can feel his lips quirk up slightly, it may be his way of smiling into the kiss, and I just held him even closer.

As we pulled away, we both stared at each other before laughing, his forehead laid on mine.

“I love you, George.”

My heart feels so full that it causes tears to form in my eyes and my reply to be end up being a whisper.

“I love you too, Dream.”

**Author's Note:**

> kept this for quite a bit !! didn't really know where to end the thing and before i knew it, i reached 10k words :'D
> 
> i might make a dream pov of it soon.... :eyes:
> 
> the hp au fic is still ongoing as im posting this ! serene might be able to put her works up by this coming friday due to her having classes, so stay tuned for that !! <3


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